1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driving device and an action toy using such a driving device.
2. Description of Related Art
A driving device for an action toy, which rotates wheels by transmitting the power of a driving source, e.g., a motor, to the wheels through gears for reduction, or swings hands and feet or the like of the toy by transmitting the power of the motor to the hands and feet or the like through a link work, is known.
However, a driving device having a motor are expensive, that is, a toy having such a driving device is also expensive. Further, a small sized toy requires a small-sized electric power and a small-sized motor, although it requires much energy to perform large actions by the rotational power of the small-sized motor and in particular, a type of driving device transmitting the power of the motor through gears dissipates the energy of battery hard.
For these reasons, conventionally, there were little driving devices suitable for a small-sized toy.
The invention has been made in view of the above problems.
An object of the invention is to provide a driving device which is applicable for a small-sized toy.
Another object of the invention is to provide an action toy using such a driving device.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the driving apparatus for an action toy comprising: a base member; a swing member which is reciprocally swingable on a predetermined axis formed in the base member; an electromagnet which is attached to one of the base member and the swing member; a control circuit for controlling electric current supplied to the electromagnet; at least a magnetic material member which is attached to the other of the base member and the swing member to allow the swing member to swing reciprocally with respect to the base member by a magnetic force which acts between the electromagnet and the magnetic material member; and a ratchet mechanism for converting a swinging movement of the swing member to a rotational movement of a wheel, the ratchet mechanism comprising a ratchet pawl member and ratchet teeth engageable with the ratchet pawl member.
Preferably, the ratchet teeth are provided in the wheel.
The swing member can be swung reciprocally, for example, by attaching a permanent magnet (or a magnetic material) onto one of the base member and the swing member, attaching an electromagnet onto the other, and changing the polarities of the electromagnet alternately by controlling the current flowing thereto. Although at least one permanent magnet is required, it is preferable to provide a pair of magnets. Preferably, a pair of magnets are arranged to face to one surface of the electromagnet along the swinging direction of the swing member so that the same side thereof have different polarities to each other. The swing member may be reciprocally moved linearly and also may be reciprocally swung around an axis. As the magnetic material, one other than permanent magnet may be also used.
The driving apparatus for an action toy move the swing member reciprocally by a magnetic force. Accordingly, only a small power is required to make the wheel perform a large action because of obtaining a large swinging stroke of the swing member. Because the reciprocal action of the swing member is converted to the action for the wheel, the driving apparatus enables making a toy using the driving apparatus perform complicated movements easily.
In the driving apparatus, the reciprocal swinging action of the swing member generated by a magnetic force is converted to the action for the wheel. In the swinging action, stroke of the swing member can be adjusted easily by properly setting the length of the arm from the rotational axis to the free end of the swing member.
In the driving apparatus, the reciprocal action of the swing member generated by a magnetic force is converted to the rotational action. Use for rotational action is wide for a toy. For example, rotational action can be used for rotating a wheel, rotating a propeller and the like. After a reciprocal action is converted to a rotational action, it is possible to act another action member by reducing the rotational action.
In the driving apparatus, the reciprocal action of the swing member generated by a magnetic force is converted to the rotational action for a wheel. Although the action converting means for converting the reciprocal action to the rotational action is not limited, a link mechanism or a ratchet mechanism can be used. A wheel generates little loss of electric power because of relatively small frictional resistance on ground or a floor.
Such a driving apparatus can be preferably applied for a robot (including a toy animal). For example, making a robot walk by moving the legs one by one requires a large electric power because of its large weight. However, use of wheels enables movement of a robot with a large weight by using a small power.
In the driving apparatus, the reciprocal action of the swing member generated by a magnetic force is converted to the rotational action by a ratchet mechanism. In the ratchet mechanism, the reciprocal action is converted to an intermittent rotational movement.
In the driving apparatus, the reciprocal action of the swing member generated by a magnetic force is converted to the rotational action through ratchet teeth formed in the wheel. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the number of necessary parts in comparison with in case of ratchet teeth which are provided apart from the wheel.
Preferably, the swing member supports the ratchet pawl member to allow it to move in a vertical direction and to descend by its own weight. A projecting pawl may be formed at a portion of the ratchet pawl member in a descending direction of the ratchet pawl member by its own weight.
The swing member may support the ratchet pawl member by a projecting cylindrical bearing which is disposed on a side surface of the swing member and centered at the axis of swinging for the swing member.
The projecting cylindrical bearing may comprise a projection with a small width, which is formed on a periphery thereof and extending in a vertical direction, and a through hole may be formed in the ratchet pawl member so that the projecting cylindrical bearing is fitted with a play and the ratchet pawl member is movable with respect to the projecting cylindrical bearing in a vertical direction.
The through hole formed in the ratchet pawl member may have a first approximately rectangular hole with a width slightly larger than an outer diameter of the cylindrical bearing and a second hole with a width slightly larger than the small width of the projection of the cylindrical bearing.
Preferably, the ratchet teeth are provided in the wheel. The swing member may swing a leg of the action toy.
Preferably, the ratchet teeth are internal teeth. In such a structure, because the ratchet pawl member can be arranged inside the internal teeth, the whole driving apparatus can be small-sized.
In the driving apparatus, the current flowing in the electromagnet may be controlled in response to an external stimulation. The external stimulation includes external sound, radio wave, infrared radiation, light, pressure, stimulation by a person, e.g., stroking, slapping, and the like.
In such a driving apparatus, the reciprocal action of the swing member generated by a magnetic force which is controlled in response to an external stimulation is converted to the action of the wheel. Accordingly, it is possible to realize an interesting toy which can perform action changing according to the type of external stimulation.
The driving apparatus may perform a reaction in response to a length of the sound. The reaction is not limited and it includes an action of the swing member and of another action member, generation of sound, light emission, and other actions.
Because such a driving apparatus performs a reaction by recognizing a combination of lengths of elements of a sound, everybody can make the driving apparatus perform a desired action easily. The external sound includes a voice which may include one or more voice elements.
Preferably, the driving apparatus further comprises: a storage unit for storing sound information including a plurality of combinations each having a sound element or plural sound elements and a pose between the sound elements, of a sound, and a predetermined range of time length; and a processing unit for recognizing an external voice when a measured time length of the external voice is in the predetermined range of time length stored in the storage unit, and controlling to make a driver to perform a reaction for an action toy. corresponding to a recognized result.
According to the driving apparatus, it is possible to make the toy recognize the meaning of not only a word with a sound element but also a word with plural sound elements and a pose therebetween, on the basis of the combination of lengths of every sound element and pose, of the input voice. For example, when a speaker""s voice is xe2x80x9cPochi, Osuwari!xe2x80x9d which comprises a first sound element xe2x80x9cPo-chixe2x80x9d which is a dog name in Japanese, a pose, and a second sound element, xe2x80x9cOsuwari!xe2x80x9d which means xe2x80x9cSit down!xe2x80x9d in Japanese, the processing unit knows the combination of the lengths of the first sound element, a pose, and the second sound element and can recognize the meaning of the voice by referring to the information of lengths combination-toy reaction relationship, stored in the storage unit. Preferably, a predetermined range of time length to be accepted by the apparatus may be set for each sound element and pose, to adapt the apparatus for variations of rapid and slow speaking speed to some extent. Accordingly, the meaning of input voice of one or plural sound elements can be recognized for not only a rapid speaker but a slow speaker. Because the processing unit does not recognize the input voice when the time length of either of elements and pose is not in the predetermined range, the apparatus makes hardly a mistake about recognition or action.
The processing unit may further comprise a voice synthesis for composing a sound like a voice.
The driving apparatus may comprise: the storage unit for storing various voices synthesized by the voice synthesis; a voice output unit for outputting a voice synthesized by the voice synthesis; and a processing unit for recognizing an external voice when a measured time length of the external voice is in the predetermined range of time length with respect to the voice synthesized, and controlling to make a driver to perform a reaction for an action toy, corresponding to a recognized result.
According to the driving apparatus, it is possible to realize a conversation with the action toy at an extremely low cost, by making the processing unit perform both voice synthesis and voice recognition. For example, when the action toy outputs a synthesized voice xe2x80x9cOhayoxe2x80x9d which means xe2x80x9cgood morningxe2x80x9d in Japanese and thereafter a speaker speaks a voice xe2x80x9cOhayoxe2x80x9d with a time length which is in the predetermined range with respect to the voice synthesized, the toy can recognize the speaker""s voice as xe2x80x9cOhayoxe2x80x9d.
The driving apparatus may further comprise: a storage unit for storing sound information including a plurality of combinations each having a sound element or plural sound elements and a pose between the sound elements, or a sound, and a predetermined range of time length; and a processing unit for recognizing an external voice when a measured time length of the external voice is in the predetermined range of time length stored in the storage unit, and controlling to make a driver to perform a reaction for an action toy, corresponding to a recognized result.
According to the driving apparatus, it is possible to enjoy a quiz in which the apparatus gives a synthesized voice, e.g., the highest mountain in Japan?, and thereafter requires an association to the synthesized voice to the speaker. When the speaker gives an external voice of correct answer xe2x80x9cFuji-sanxe2x80x9d to the apparatus, the toy recognizes the external voice as the speaker""s voice.
The driving apparatus may comprise a button type of battery (cell) as a power source. Accordingly, the driving apparatus can be small-sized. As the power source, a structure for a small-sized storage battery, e.g., Nixe2x80x94Cd (nickel-cadmium) battery, can be also used.
The driving apparatus may further comprise a button type of battery as a power source. Accordingly, it is possible to realize a
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, the action toy having a driving apparatus, wherein the driving apparatus comprises: a base member; a swing member which is reciprocally swingable on a predetermined axis formed in the base member; an electromagnet which is attached to one of the base member and the swing member; a control circuit for controlling electric current supplied to the electromagnet; at least a magnetic material member which is attached to the other of the base member and the swing member to allow the swing member to swing reciprocally with respect to the base member by a magnetic force which acts between the electromagnet and the magnetic material member; and a ratchet mechanism for converting a swinging movement of the swing member to a rotational movement of a wheel, the ratchet mechanism comprising a ratchet pawl member and ratchet teeth engageable with the ratchet pawl member.
According to the action toy having such a structure, it enables performing a large action and complicated movements easily by using only a small power.